Power generating device



p 8,1944. L. A. BARNETT 2,346,643

POWER GENERAT ING DEVICE Filed March 9, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.L A BHE/ 'TZ' A. BARNETT POWER GENERATING DEVICE April 18, 1944.

Filed March 9, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m n o E n FL. m M W V \h a. NM. W 4W v H \v N w "I" \\QN m m Patented Apr. 18, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE POWER GENERATING DEVIGE Lee A. Barnett, Los AngelesjCztlif.

Application March 9, 1942, Serial No. 433,977

7 Claims.

This invention relates to power generating devices, and has particularreference to means designed to utilize forces ordinarily to a largeextent wasted, with a view to conserve power as well as to materiallyreduce power generating cost.

Much power "is wasted wherever traific moves. In every foots'tep, inevery turn of a vehicle wheel, some power is wasted which might beturnedto use. In view of this, it is the general object of the invention toprovide means for saving and utilizing some of this wasted power,without thereby materially interfering with normal flow of trafiic fromwhich such power is drawn. More particularly, it is the object of theinvention to provide means actuated by the weight of persons or objectspassing a chosen location to set into motion devices designed togenerate power. With these and other objects in view, the inventionresides in the combinations of novel and important features hereinafterfully described and illustrated in the appended drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a preferred form of my inventionsubstantially as it would appear when installed in and'beneath aroadway;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding sectional elevation taken substantially online 22 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows, on a larger scale the main portions of the device of myinvention;

Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly in section, of a roadway in which thedevice of the invention is imbedded; and

Fig. 5 illustrates certain modifications in the device of Fig. 4, theimportance of which will become apparent upon perusal of the followingdescription.

The device of my invention is primarily intended for installation inroadway, bridge or any other surface over which ordinary vehicle trafficmoves. In the drawings, the character A designates a portion of aroadway, and B is a pit extending the width of the roadbed and it is ofsufficientlength to accommodate the devices of the invention. Theportion of the roadway spanning the pit takes the form of a two-leafbridge, the leaves I, 2 of which are hung on shafts or pivots 3, A.Theseinstrumentalities are arranged and proportioned normally tocontinue the road surface without interruption or change in the surfacelevel, and the leaves of the bridge are, to this end, showncounterbalanced by means of suitable weights 5, 6, held freely suspendedwithin the-pit B.

The pit forms a chamber within which is-placed a device somewhat-similarto a lazy-tongs ar- 'rangement, see also Fig. 3. This device compriseschanneled beams It, I I, pivotally hung at I2 on a stationary post I3.Brackets I4, I5 are fastened to the underside of the leaves I, 2, andthey have perforations alined with the joint between the leaves. LinksI6, H are shown pivotally interconnecting these brackets with the beamII]. A post is mounted beyond the end of the beam H, and a lever 2|,carrying at each end a roller 22, which in turn ride within the beamsIE1 and I I, is journaled in the top of this post.

From this brief description, it is seen that a depression of the leavesI, 2 causes the beam Iii to swing downward on its pivot I2, with theresult that the lever 2I is swung on its pivot, thereby to swing'thebeam II upward. It may be well to mention at this time that it is theweight of vehicles passing along the roadway which depresses theleavesI, 2 .to effect the movement just described. A link 23 is, at 24, shownpivotally secured to the beam II to form the beginning of a chain oflinks 25 to 29,'and it is to be noted that a roller 22 is provided ateach link joint to'ride in the channels of the beams. The end of thelast link 29 is shown journaled at M on a bar 30, which is held slidablein a post 32 and the post 20.

In view of the foregoing, it is seen that the chain of links is actuatedby the closing move- -ment of the two beams, in response to depressionsof the leaves I, 2, to push the bar 30 forward, and that the bar returnsto its initial position as the leaves again rise. And it is mostimportant to note that, because of the introduction of the lever 2 I,this sliding movement of the bar is substantially twice as great as itwould be, were this lever omitted and thebeam II held stationary. Thesliding movement of the bar is used for the purpose of powerdevelopment. To this end, it is for illustration shown fitted with arack portion 33, which is permanently in mesh with the teeth of a gearwheel 34, of a shaft 35. An arm 36 is rigidly secured'to this shaft andit carries a pawl 31 which, in turn, rides in the teeth of a ratchetwheel 38. The latter is rotatable on the shaft and it is rigidlycombined with a gear wheel 39. A second shaft '40 is shown placedparallel with the shaft 35, and a second gear 4| and a pulley 42 arefastened to this shaft.

It should be clear to anyone versed in this art that reciprocations ofthe rack bar 33 are, through the medium of these instrumentalities,translated into intermittent rotation of the pulley 42, in the directionof the'arrow. This movement, or even the 'recipro'cati'onspf thebar"3ll,"may"be used" to drive a pump for irrigation purposes or thelike.

The device of my invention is primarily intended for installation alonghighways where trafiic is fairly continuous, at least during certainperiods of the day. And, as most highways provide room for two or morelanes of traflic, it is possible to provide a power device for each laneand to combine the intermittent movement of the devices of each laneinto fairly continuous rotation of a member operatively connectedtherewith.

In order better to explain this feature, reference is invited to Fig. 4,in which a portion of a multilane highway is indicated. Through a breakin the approach to the leaf-spans are seen the ends of bars 3i]. Gearwheels 34 and pawl carrying arms 35 are shown secured to the shaft 35,for imparting movement to ratchet wheels 38 and gears 39. Acorresponding number of gears 4| are fastened to the shaft 40, all ofwhich impart rotation to the pulley 42.

On a highway where the traffic, at least part of the time, is heavy, itis seen that the impulses from the various lanes will combine to impartsubstantially continuous rotation to the pulley 42, or other suitablepower transmitting element. As stated this power may be used for pumpoperation or it may be employed for the generation of electric power.

But, even on a single or two-lane roadway, a

'fairly continuous rotation may be obtained, merely by introducing aseries of bridge spans and by placing the shaft 45 at right angles tothe reciprocating mechanism. This arrangement is illustrated in Fig. tocomprise a series of leaf-spans l, 2, each of which is connected asabove explained and shown in Fig. 3 to rotate a ratched wheel 38. To thelatter is secured a bevel gear 50, and the bevel gears of each span isin mesh with a bevel gear 5| of a shaft 52, to which may be fastened thepulley 42 or other power transmitting element.

I claim:

1. A power generating device for a roadway having a pit thereundercomprising, pivotally hung leaves spanning said pit level with the roadsurface, means yieldingly maintaining said leaves elevated to said roadlevel, a post in said pit, an upper and a lower beam having one end on acommon pivot on said post, a second post in the pit, a lever hung onsaid second post, elements on the ends of said lever held by and movablealong said beams, means operatively interconnecting said leaves with thesaid upper beam to cause the l .tter to swing downward in response todepress ons of the leaves thereby to swing said lever on its pivot tocause the lower beam to swing upward, a d lazy-tongs means mounted onand between said beams for extension in response closing movement of thebeams.

2. A power generating device for a roadway having a pit thereundercomprising, pivotally hung leaves spanning said pit level with the roadsurface, means yieldingly maintaining said leaves elevated to the roadlevel, two beams pivotally interconnected at one end and mounted forvertical oscillation within the pit, means operatively interconnectingsaid leaves with one of said beams to swing the latter downward inresponse to depressions of the leaves, means operatively interconnectingthe two beams to cause one beam to swing upward in response to downwardmovement of the other, and lazy-tongs means guided on and held suspendedbetween said beams for expansion and contraction in response to swingingmovement of the two beams.

3. A power generating device for a roadway having a pit thereundercomprising, pivotally hung leaves spanning said pit level with the roadsurface, means yieldingly maintaining said leaves elevated to the roadlevel, two beams pivotally interconnected at one end and mounted in thepit for vertical oscillation, means operatively interconnecting saidleaves with one of the beams to swing the latter downward in response todepressions of the leaves, means operatively interconnecting the beamsto cause one beam to swing upward in response to downward movement ofthe other, lazy-tongs means guided on and held suspended between saidbeams for expansion and contraction in response to said swingingmovement of the beams, means mounted for rotations within said pit, andmeans extending from said lazy-tongs means and operatively connectedwith said rotating means to cause the latter to rotate in one directionin response said lazy-tongs movements.

4. A power generating device for a roadway having a pit thereundercomprising, a pair of leaves hung level with the roadway, said leavesbeing hinged at the transverse pit edges and having transverse centralabutting edges, means yieldingly maintaining said leaves elevated to theroad level, lazy-tongs mounted within said pit, means operativelyinterconnecting the abutting edges of said leaves with said lazy-tongmeans to translate depressions of the leaves into lazy-tong extensions,and means translating the said extensions into rotating movement.

5. In combination with a roadway for vehicular trafiic having arectangular opening transversely thereof and a pit below said opening,leaves piv otally hung on the edges of said opening level with the roadsurface to close said opening, a lazy-tongs arrangement mounted withinsaid pit, and means operatively connecting the abutting edges of theleaves with said arrangement to translate relatively short depressionsof the leaves as vehicles pass over the leaves in either direction intorelatively great extensions of said arrangement.

6. In combination with a roadway for vehicular traffic having arectangular opening transversely thereof and a pit below the opening,leaves pivotally hung on the edges of the opening level with the roadsurface to close the opening, means yieldingly maintaining said leaveselevated to the road level, a lazy-tongs arrangement mounted within saidpit, and means operatively connecting the abutting edges of the leaveswith the said arrangement to translate relatively short depressions ofthe leaves as vehicles on the roadway pass over the leaves in eitherdirection into relatively great extensions of said arrangement.

'7. A power generating device for a roadway carrying vehicular traffic,said roadway having a pit transversely thereof, comprising a pair ofleaves level with the road surface, said leaves being hinged to thetransverse pit edges and having central abutting edges, means yieldinglymaintaining said leaves elevated to the road level, a lazy-tongsarrangement mounted within said pit, and means operativelyinterconnecting the abutting edges of the leaves with said arrangementto translate relatively short depressions of the leaves as vehicles passover the leaves in either direction into relatively great extensionsofsaid arrangement. I

- LEE A. BARNETT,

